Rocky Graziano Metropolitan AAU Welterweight Title Winner

Rocky Graziano was born on 1st January, 1922 in New York City. He was recognized as one of the greatest knockout artists in boxing history. He was the son of a third rate fighter Nick Bob. Graziano was world boxing champion who fought with Tony Zale and Sugar Ray Robinson.

Rocky Graziano was sent to live with his grandparents and grew up on the lower East Side where he didnt get any advantages to achieve the top level of the ring and in the entertainment world. At the age of twelve he came back to his father and for the first time he went to reform school.

In 1939, one of his friends took Rocky Graziano at Stillman's Gym in New York and in a very short period he got the Metropolitan AAU Welterweight title as an amateur.In the year 1945 after spending a long time in reform schools, protectories and the city jail, he was sent to the U.S. Army. During this time due to an altercation with a captain whom he punched, he had to spend seven months in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kans.

During his days in the Army he became a professional fighter and took the last name Graziano so that he cannot be easily detected and punished by the Army. In 1945 Rocky Graziano got the attraction when top-rated middleweight Billy Arnold was knocked out by him. He held the position of middleweight champion for 11 months in late forties.


In the year 1948 Rocky Graziano was suspended by the National Boxing Association along with American states, Great Britain, the European Boxing Federation, Cuba, Mexico, and Canada when he was found guilty of accepting $100, 00 as a bribe to throw a bout in favor of Cowboy Ruben Shanks.

Two years before that NYSAC also suspended Rocky Graziano for not showing appropriate causes when he attempted to take bribe. It was boxing promoter Ralph Tribuani, who helped Rocky to escape from the suspension.

After one year Rocky Graziano came back into the ring and stayed with 17th knockout till his retirement in 1952. He then pursued career in television. He had a stroke in April 1990 and died a month later when he was 71. His autobiography Somebody Up There Like me was later converted into a motion picture where Paul Newman starred in the character of Rocky. Out of his 83 professional fights he won 67, lost 10 and fought 6 draws. Rocky Graziano was a popular boxer among his fans but not to the boxing officials due to his involvement in some corruption. Rocky Graziano